From Sydney to Vladivostok, communities around the world have begun to welcome. 2025 With spectacular light shows, hugs and snow jumps.
Auckland became the first major city to celebrate, as thousands gathered in the city center or climbed the city's ring of volcanic peaks for the fireworks display. A light display recognized the locals.
South Pacific countries ring in the New Year first, with New Zealand striking midnight 18 hours before the ball drops in New York's Times Square.
Conflicts have muted New Year celebrations in places like the Middle East, Sudan and Ukraine.
Fireworks were set off over the Sydney Harbor Bridge and across the bay. More than a million Australians and others flocked to the famous Sydney Harbor to celebrate. British pop star Robbie Williams led the crowd along.
The celebration also featured indigenous ceremonies and performances that recognized the first peoples of the land.
Fireworks explode over the Sydney Opera House and Harbor Bridge during New Year's Eve celebrations in Sydney on Wednesday, January 1, 2025. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP Image via AP)
Asia is preparing for the Year of the Snake.
Much of Japan shut down ahead of the country's biggest holiday, as temples and homes were thoroughly cleaned.
In the Asian zodiac the coming Year of the Snake is represented as a rebirth – alluding to the skin of the reptilian animal. Stores in Japan, which observes the zodiac since January 1, are selling snake-themed products. Elsewhere in Asia, the Year of the Snake will be celebrated later with the Lunar New Year.
People visit Sensoji Buddhist Temple on New Year's Eve in Tokyo, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Hero Kome).
In South Korea, events were cut short or canceled during a period of national mourning following the Jeju Air flight crash in Moan on Sunday that killed 179 people.
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In Bangkok, Thailand, shopping malls beat the crowds with live musical acts and fireworks shows. A performance by popular rap singer Lisa, the Thai member of South Korean girl group Blackpink, was scheduled for just before midnight.
People gather in the central business district on New Year's Eve in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024.
A fireworks display was held in Jakarta, Indonesia, which included 800 drones.
Exchange of goodwill between China and Russia
Chinese state media covered the exchange of New Year's greetings between leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin in a reminder of the growing rapprochement between the leaders, who are at loggerheads with the West.
The official Xinhua news agency said Xi told Putin that their countries will always move forward together.
Revelers celebrate the New Year during a countdown event in Beijing, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan).
China has maintained ties and strong trade with Russia since the latter invaded Ukraine in 2022, helping to fend off Western sanctions and efforts to isolate Putin.
Xi also addressed Taiwan, the self-governing island claimed by Beijing: “We belong to the same family on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.” No one can ever break the relationship between us.
In his address to the nation, Putin said Russia had “set big goals for itself and achieved them, and we overcame difficulties more than once because we were together.”
There is a shadow of conflict in the Middle East.
New Year's celebrations in Israel were expected to be suppressed as its conflict with Hamas continues and several hostages are being held. Meanwhile, it is hard to gauge the extent of starvation in northern Gaza, where thousands have fled an Israeli military crackdown that aid groups say has allowed barely any aid to flow in since October. has gone
Many areas of Lebanon were heavily damaged during the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, which ended with a shaky ceasefire. Meanwhile, Syrians expressed hope and uncertainty following the ouster of leader Bashar al-Assad.
In Dubai, thousands of people are attending the fireworks show at the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest skyscraper.
Emirati men stand on the promenade in front of the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, ahead of New Year's Eve celebrations in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri).
Rome's traditional New Year's Eve celebrations have an added draw: the start of Pope Francis' Holy Year, a once-in-a-quarter-century celebration expected to bring some 32 million pilgrims to the Eternal City in 2025.
On Tuesday, Francis will celebrate a Vespers at St. Peter's Basilica, followed by Mass on Wednesday, when he will again appeal for peace amid the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
January 1st is a day of obligation for Catholics, marking the canonization of Mary.
The German leader called for unity.
German Chancellor Olaf Schulz urged residents to stick together despite the country's ailing economy and a deadly Christmas market attack that shocked the nation.
“We are a country of unity. And we can draw strength from that – especially in difficult times like this,” Schulz said in a pre-recorded speech.
Paris recaptures the Olympic spirit.
Paris 2024 will take center stage with its traditional countdown and fireworks extravaganza on the Champs-Élysées.
The Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games held in the French capital from July to September gave the city a dazzling display of joy, brotherhood and sport. Turned into a place of success. It also marked a milestone in its recovery from deadly extremist attacks by al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group in 2015.
Britons are facing a cold winter.
London will usher in the New Year with a pyrotechnic display along the River Thames and a parade through the city center on Wednesday featuring 10,000 performers.
After the storm brought bitter weather to other parts of the UK, festivals in Edinburgh, Scotland — including the Hogmanay Street Party and the Castle Pyrotechnics Show — were cancelled.
But in Switzerland and some other places, people embraced the cold, jumping into the water in freezing temperatures.
Rio expects 2 million revelers.
Rio de Janeiro will throw Brazil's main New Year's Eve celebration on Copacabana Beach, with a 12-minute fireworks display along the waterfront ferries. Thousands of tourists on cruise ships will watch the show up close.
More than two million people were expected at the Copacabana, hoping to attend concerts by superstar Brazilian artists such as pop singer Anita and Grammy Award winner Caetano Veloso.
American traditions old and new
In New York City, the organization that manages Times Square tested its famous ball drop and inspected 2025 digits, lights and thousands of crystals as part of a 1907 tradition. Ora and Sophie Alice Baxter.
Meanwhile, Las Vegas' pyrotechnic show will take place on the Strip, with 340,000 people expected as fireworks are launched from casino rooftops. Nearby, the massive Sphere venue will for the first time display a countdown to midnight in various time zones.
In Pasadena, excited Rose Parade spectators were setting up camp and hoping for prime spots. And nearly 200,000 people flocked to a party in Nashville, Tennessee, that featured a show from country music's biggest stars.
American Samoa will be among the last to welcome 2025, a full 24 hours after New Zealand.